We see signs of Ebola stabilization: Liberian president

SHAFAQNA- The fatal Ebola epidemic is showing signs of stabilization despite a rise in the death toll, says Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

“We are beginning to see stabilization, even in Monrovia which has been hit the hardest, we are beginning to see a slowdown in the numbers of people reporting to a treatment center. That’s something that tells us… that we are finally on the road to solving this,” the Liberian president said on Wednesday.

Hailing international efforts to put a halt on the Ebola outbreak, Sirleaf expressed her optimism that disease-stricken countries would finally manage to bring the crisis under control.

“The international response is quite large… so now we are very hopeful that while it was late, we now have the capacity to be able to address this in a very significant way,” she pointed out.

Her comments came shortly after the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that Ebola death toll has risen to 3,338, with over half of the fatalities in Liberia.

Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

It remains one of the world’s most virulent diseases that kills between 25 to 90 percent of those who fall sick. There is currently no known cure for Ebola.